This is a part of San Francisco series. Check out the previous post:
On day two in San Francisco, we wanted to return to nature and hiking. I guess it was something that we liked the most, after all. To get away from the city, crowds, and cars. The hike started at the Lands End Lookout, a clear lookout towards the Pacific on the far northwest part of the San Francisco main area.
People were gathering there, but nothing like in the city itself. As soon as we started walking, the great Golden Gate bridge appeared. The rocky shores of the north part of the city led up to it, and we enjoyed every moment of it. At some point, the shore levels out with the ocean into a beautiful beach that takes you to the base of the bridge.
We took a similar route the last time we went there, but with bikes. This time, we did it on foot, and it felt slow but better because we got to take in much more of the fancy neighborhoods leading up the bridge. The folks were sunbathing on the beach but rarely was anyone swimming. There were warning signs about rip currents there.
The rip current is a tricky thing to get caught in. It is a body of water that will send you back to the ocean. It happens when the waves hit the shore, and the water they bring must return to the sea, and it can take you quickly with it. The rip currents were pretty strong there because the sign was in almost every popular language.
We continued next to the bridge, booming with cars, bikes, and people at that time. We had already crossed a year before with our bikes. No need to experience that again. There was a trail headed to the hill that overlooked the bridge. It has a peaceful-looking cemetery, one where all the tombstones are the same design. What surprised me were the signs that forbid dogs in this area.
The bridge is relatively close to the urban area of San Francisco, with a small park/forest area between them. Apparently, these green areas were filled with coyotes that would get in fights with dogs. It was definitely something I wanted to avoid looking at.
We conquered the hill and descended into the city to eat and see the Painted Ladies, but I will share that tomorrow.